Government to consult East Mids businesses on new industrial strategy
Education Secretary Justine Greening to visit Bombardier today (January 23) as the Government looks to ask East Midlands businesses what they think of its Industrial Strategy Green Paper.
The Government will today publish its vision for a modern Industrial Strategy that builds on the UK’s strengths, closes the productivity and wealth gap between different regions and drives growth more evenly across the country.
In its Green Paper, Building our Industrial Strategy, the Government defines three fundamental challenges Britain must face up to now, and in the future:
– Build on the UK’s strengths and extend excellence into the future;
– Close the gap between Britain’s most productive companies, industries, places and people and the rest;
– Make Britain one of the most competitive places in the world to start or grow a business.
The Strategy outlines 10 key pillars of focus to be discussed as part of a 12 week consultation period, inviting contributions from industries, businesses, local groups and workers across the East Midlands.
The pillars cover a broad range of themes including ‘skills’, ‘infrastructure’, ‘affordable energy and clean growth’, with the Green Paper proposing a series of announcements for each. The Strategy will propose plans for ‘driving growth across the country’, with a framework to build on local strengths and reduce regional disparities in opportunities and prosperity.
Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark said: “This is an important step in building a modern, dynamic Industrial Strategy that will improve living standards and drive economic growth across the whole country. A modern British Industrial Strategy must build on the UK’s strengths and extend excellence into the future; close the gap between the UK’s most productive companies, industries, places and people and the rest; and ensure we are one of the most competitive places in the world to start and grow a business.
“The East Midlands has a world-leading reputation across a range of sectors, such as Northamptonshire, which is home to the largest cluster of motorsport and high performance engineering businesses in the UK. Through our Industrial Strategy and Midlands Engine Strategy we will be building on these extraordinary local strengths and creating new opportunities and jobs in the region across industries and sectors.
“We are inviting businesses and workers to contribute to this vision to help us create a high-skilled economy where every place can meet its potential.”
Scott Knowles, chief executive at East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Leicestershire) said: “Recognising the opportunities that Brexit will bring, our businesses are already on the front foot in terms of improving their competitiveness, developing new markets and investing in the new technologies and ways of working that will put them at the head of the pack for growth.
“Government backing for these businesses – that have time and again demonstrated their appetite for growth, regardless of events – will demonstrate to both the wider UK and the rest of the world that the UK continues to be a place for those wanting excellence in reliability and quality.”
Today’s Green Paper launch follows the announcement of initial funding as part of the Industrial Strategy, including the £4.7bn increase in research and development funding, unveiled by the Chancellor Philip Hammond at last year’s Autumn Statement.
